Floatable cords

ABSTRACT

A flexible floatable cord for use in fishing nets, trawls, water skiing and the like, which comprises a braided sleeve, a core of continuous filament threads incorporated therein and particles of an expanded plastic material disposed between said sleeve and said core, said particles being only attached to one another and to the sleeve and the core and forming a continuous cord in which the core is embedded. Further a process and an apparatus for producing said flexible floatable cord.

United States Patent Inventor Jan Hendrik Platou Birkelundsbk 76, Paradis, near Bergen, Norway Appl. No. 712,445 Filed Mar. 12, 1968 Patented May 18, 1971 FLOATABLE CORDS 6 Claims, 4 Drawing U.S. Cl 87/6, 43/9, 57/ 144, 87/7 Int. Cl D04c 1/12 Field of Search 87/1, 5-8,

[5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2..979,982 4/ 1961 Weitzel 87/6 3,131,592 5/1969 Norehad.... 87/6 3,421,405 1/1969 Logrippo 87/6 Primary ExaminerJohn Petrakes Atxorney-McGlew and Toren ABSTRACT: A flexible floatable cord for use in fishing nets, trawls, water skiing and the like, which comprises a braided sleeve, a core of continuous filament threads incorporated PATENTEU HAYIBIHII sum 1 BF 2 INVENTOR: JHN HEmuu PLnrou BY M M W PATENTED um 8:91!

sum 2 0F 2 INVENTOR: JAN HENRIK PLPT'OU FLOATABLE CORDS This invention relates to floatable cords and, more particularly, cords for use in fishing nets, trawls and the like.

Floatable cords are known which comprise a continuous, uniformly thick cord of foam plastic or similar material of suitable thickness and specific gravity, which is disposed around a core of synthetic filament threads and is itself enclosed by a braided sleeve of synthetic filamentary material. Such floatable cords are produced by braiding the sleeve in position outside a separately fabricated unit of foam plastic cord and support-fonning core.

In practice the net threads and the like can be easily bound to the floatable cord by pursing together the cross section by means of the net thread. In this way there is obtained a reliable fastening for the net threads, so that they can be secured in place in desired positions on the floatable cord. However, there is a disadvantage in that the floatable cord becomes relatively rigid and hence unmanageable in use. This is due essentially to the floatable cord being provided with a continuous, uniformly thick plastic cord which can be bent only with difficulty by small bending radiuses.

It is an object of the invention to provide a supple and flexible, floatable cord which will provide an effective fastening for winding on net threads and the like at desired positions along its length.

According to the invention, a flexible floatable cord for fishing nets, trawls, water skiing and the like comprises a braided sleeve of filamentary material, a core of continuous filament threads incorporated therein and particles of an expanded material disposed between said sleeve and said core, said particles being attached to one another as well as to the sleeve and the core and forming a continuous cord in which the core is embedded.

Conveniently, the braided sleeve is composed of synthetic filamentary material and the core of continuous synthetic filament threads, the latter preferably being fuzzy so that they can be readily charged with static electricity.

The raw material from which the expanded particles are obtained can be a heat-expandable plastic or plasticlike material, such as heat-expandable polystyrene.

The degree of attachment between adjacent expanded particles and between the particles and the walls of the sleeve or the embedded core is such that the particles can be displaced to some extent relative to one another. This state of loose coherence results in a floatable cord possessing good flexibility.

Also according to the invention is a process for producing a flexible floatable cord for use in fishing nets, trawls and the like, which comprises feeding a predetermined quantity of particles of an expandable plastic material directly into a sleeve of filamentary material during braiding thereof and by means of and together with continuous filament threads which form a core, and expanding said particles disposed between said core and the walls of the braided sleeve.

The term particles when used in connection with the expression expandable plastic or plasticlike material is intended to include powdered and/or granular material.

When the plastic or plasticlike material consists essentially of a heat-expandable polystyrene, it is preferred to heat the composite cord to a temperature just below the fusion temperature thereof, which can be about 80 C.

Further according to the invention is an apparatus for preparing the expandable cord which comprises a braiding machine having a pipe to one end of which filamentary materi al is fed and from the opposite end of which braided sleeve issues, means for feeding the expandable plastic or plasticlike material and the associated core into the sleeve adjacent said one end of the pipe, and means for drawing the braided sleeve from said opposite end of the pipe.

The feeding means can comprise a container through which thec'ore threads are arranged to pass in contact with the particles of the expandable plastic or plasticlike material present therein, said container having a nozzle adjacent its outlet end projecting into the sleeve.

When it is desired to produce an end product having the aforementioned constrictions in the braided sleeve, the apparatus includes a closure means arranged to be driven synchronously with the drawing means and to close the outlet of the container intermittently, the nozzle being positioned so as to receive predetermined separate doses of the expandable particles issuing from said outlet. Preferably the apparatus also includes a bath for the aqueous mixture comprising the hygroscopic fluid, which is disposed adjacent said opposite end of the pipe to receive the braided sleeve drawn therefrom.

In order that the invention can be more clearly understood, convenient embodiments thereof will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic sketch of an apparatus for use in a first embodiment according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing details in the composite cord produced according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a similar sketch to FIG. 1 showing an apparatus for use in a second embodiment according to the invention.

FIG. 4 is a similar sketch to FIG. 2 showing details in the composite cord according to a second embodiment.

In FIG. 1, there is schematically indicated by dotted lines, a braiding machine 10 of a general commercial type for braiding a continuous cord. At 11, there are shown two of the braiding spools which together with a series of other braiding spools feed filament threads 12 to the mouth of a braiding pipe 13 which extends vertically and centrally through the machine. In the illustrated embodiment the sleeve 14 is drawn vertically downwards through the braiding pipe.

By means of simple provisions as shown by the full lines in the drawing, the above-mentioned braiding machine 10 has been utilized as the basic unit in the apparatus according to the invention. To the braiding machine there is secured, in-a manner not shown further, a funnel-shaped, interchangeable feed nozzle 15 having a mouthpiece 16 which projects inwards into the braided sleeve 14, at the upper end of the braiding pipe. The feed nozzle 15 is connected to a cylindrical storage container 17 for a material 18, such as powdered, unexpanded polystyrene which is to be introduced into the sleeve. From an upper guide pulley 19, which is preferably braked by braking means (not shown), there extends a core unit 20 consisting of 2-3 synthetic, fuzzy filament threads. The core unit 20 extends centrally through the container 17 and the feed nozzle 15 and inwards into the sleeve 14 through the mouthpiece 16 and brings with it at the same time a certain amount of material 18 into the sleeve 14. During this the synthetic filament threads are charged up with static electricity in a manner known per se which is utilized to get the particles in the material 18 mutually to attach themselves to one another and to the core unit 20. By employing fuzzy filament threads there is obtained an especially good attachment of the particles to the support-forming threads. Vertically below the braiding pipe 13 there is disposed a vessel 21 with fluid and, as illustrated, the line 14a extends over a rotary wheel 22 in the vessel 21, so that immersion of the line is assured to obtain penetration of fluid into the material 18 in the sleeve 14, whereby the particles of material can be secured in position in the line in a desired distribution. The fluid in the 'vessel 21 can consist of a substantially arbitrary hygroscopic fluid mixed with water. From the vessel 21, the line 140 extends further over an additional rotary wheel 23 and over a drawing arrangement 24 which is standard equipment for the braiding machine 10. The drawing arrangement 24 consists ofta rotary wheel 25 and a driving wheel 26. From the drawing arrange ment the line 14a extends through a chute 27 to -a collecting container 28 having perforated walls and base. When a suitable amount of the line 14a is accumulated in the container 28, this is led to a heated fluid bath (not shown) having a temperature below the fusion temperature (ca. C.) of the polystyrene plastic and is maintained immersed in this fora suitably long period of time, until the polystyrene plastic has expanded to the desired granular size, without the particles thereby being fused together with one another to any substantial degree. After this heat treatment, the expanded polystyrene plastic particles should be secured in position in the sleeve with a certain attachment to adjacent particles and the sleeve 14 together with the core 20a, but nevertheless not with a stronger attachment than that the particles can be displaced to a certain degree relative to one another, so that there is obtained a relatively large flexibility for the line 14a.

In FIG. 2., there is illustrated a floating body or a line 14a produced on the above-described apparatus. The floating body or line 14a consists of a woven sleeve 14 which surrounds a continuous cord 18a of expanded polystyrene foam plastic 18, in which the core 20a is embedded. At 29 there is shown a constriction of the line 14:: by means of net thread 30 which is bound firmly to the line 13.

In FIG. 3, there is illustrated an alternative solution for the apparatus as shown in FIG. 1. The essential departure from the construction according to FIG. 1 is that the container 17 is replaced by a dosing arrangement 17a. In FIG. 3, there is illustrated a cylindrical storage container 31 having a closed bottom end 32 and a lateral opening 33 which emerges just above the feed nozzle and just at the side of the core unit which, in this case, extends directly from the pulley 19 and downwards into the feed nozzle 15. The opening 33 is opened and closed by means of a cam wheel 34 which is driven by a chain drive 35 from the driving wheel 26 and which is provided with cam peaks 35 and cam depressions 36 which cooperate with a nose 37 on a spring arm 38. The arm 38 is secured to the container 31 at the upper end 39, while at the lower end it supports a closing element 40, which in the position illustrated in FIG. 3, is maintained against the opening 33 by means of a cam peak 35 on the cam wheel 34. On rotating the cam wheel, the nose 37 is brought by means of the spring pressure of the arm 38 inwards into a cam depression 36, so that the element 40 is removed from the opening 33 and there passes outwards into the nozzle 15, a definite amount of material from the container 31. By means of the core unit 20, this quantity of material is led into position in the sleeve 14 separated from a previous and a subsequent dose quantity of material 18.

In FIG. 4, there is illustrated a line 1412 produced according V to the apparatus in FIG. 3. By means of the above-mentioned dosage of unexpanded polystyrene in the sleeve 14, local constrictions 41 are obtained along the line between pieces 42 of foam plastic cord, after the heat treatment has been effected which results in expansion of the foam plastic. By means of the local dosages of the foam plastic material, there is obtained by this marked constrictions 41 which can easily have net thread bound thereon.

In practice it has been difficult to maintain a desired accurate temperature just below the fusion temperature of the polystyrene plastic, but if this temperature is exceeded somewhat with the construction according to FIG. 4, rather stifi' cord pieces are indeed obtained, while procuring nevertheless a sufficiently large flexibility at the said constrictions 41.

In certain cases, certain portions of unexpanded polystyrene from the dosage arrangement 17a, as shown in FIG. 3, can each be closed and between each such dosing certain portions of expanded foam plastic particles or other une'xpandable plastic particles or other filling material an be dosed from another corresponding dosing arrangement. In this way, certain constrictions in the line are obtained correspondingly as above but, besides, there are mutually freely disposed particles which confer great flexibility on the line at the constriction and at the same time till out the sleeve at these portions to a certain degree.

According to a second case it is possible to obtain such marked constrictions in the line by deforming the sleeve in advance of the heat treatment in an arbitrarily suitable manner, for example by local welding of opposing sleeve walls.

I claim: 1. A flexible floatable cord for fishing net, trawls, water skiing and the like which comprises a braided sleeve of filamenta-- ry material, a core of continuous filament threads incorporated within said sleeve and particles of an expanded plastic material disposed between said sleeve and said core, said particles being loosely attached to one another as well as to the sleeve and the core so that the particles can be displaced to some extent relative to one another and forming a continuous cord in which the core is embedded.

2. A cord according to claim 1, wherein the braided sleeve is composed of synthetic filamentary material.

3. A cord according to claim 1, wherein the core is composed of continuous synthetic filament threads.

4. A cord according to claim 1, in which the particles of the plastic material are heat expanded.

5. A cord according to claim 4, wherein the heat-expanded material is a polystyrene.

6. A cord according to claim 1, wherein the expanded plastic material is a mixture of expanded foam plastic particles and filler material. 

2. A cord according to claim 1, wherein the braided sleeve is composed of synthetic filamentary material.
 3. A cord according to claim 1, wherein the core is composed of continuous synthetic filament threads.
 4. A cord according to claim 1, in which the particles of the plastic material are heat expanded.
 5. A cord according to claim 4, wherein the heat-expanded material is a polystyrene.
 6. A cord according to claim 1, wherein the expanded plastic material is a mixture of expanded foam plastic particles and filler material. 